All Social articles
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White papersESG Thema #22 - Closing the gender gap in credit investing
Persistent gender disparities in economic opportunity and access to finance continue to constrain global growth and resilience – particularly in emerging markets, where institutional barriers remain deeply entrenched. According to the World Bank’s 2024 “Women, Business and the Law” report, eliminating discriminatory laws and practices that hinder women’s participation in the workforce could increase global GDP by over 20%, effectively doubling the global growth rate over the next decade. Reducing gender employment gaps could raise GDP per capita by an average of 35%, with productivity gains from workplace diversity contributing over half that value.
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White papersCatalyzing capital for gender equality: A guide to scaling gender-inclusive investing
Gender lens investing has traditionally focused on use-of-proceeds instruments such as social and sustainability bonds that earmark a portion of proceeds for gender-focused initiatives. These predominantly corporate-issued instruments, though still a small share of the overall market, have grown steadily in recent years - from roughly USD 5 billion outstanding in 2020 to nearly USD 15 billion by the end of 2023. They play a critical role in catalyzing awareness, innovation, and market credibility, with built-in accountability and transparency mechanisms that remain central to advancing gender-lens investing.
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White papersSocial impact and a resilient portfolio through Child-Lens Investing
Triodos Investment Management sets new standards in scalable, child well-being investments in small and midcap equities that enhance returns and portfolio resilience.
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White papersESG Thema #21 - From access to empowerment: how financial inclusion fuels resilience
Financial inclusion spans savings, credit, payment services, insurance, and investments. Many low-income households and small businesses, particularly in developing countries, remain excluded or underbanked, relying mainly on cash transactions that expose them to risks and hinder their saving and investing activities. Credit access is often limited or costly, pushing many to informal lenders or expensive formal options. Digital finance—financial services delivered via mobile and internet platforms—is central to expanding access.
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White papersHow private and public markets can steward solutions to societal changes
Many of the challenges of our time, such as climate change, energy security, and economic inequality, are deeply interconnected. We believe that their solutions are as well. The global climate transition is not solely a technological or political issue; it’s also a capital challenge. Investment decisions made today, across both private and public markets, can set the tone for how we shape our energy systems, infrastructure, and economies for decades to come.
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White papersThe battle for critical minerals
Growing competition for critical minerals threatens to exacerbate negative climate, human rights, and biodiversity impacts. Dana Barnes and Elissa El Moufti explore the need for enhanced transparency to promote responsible practices and minimise the risks to companies and investors.
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PodcastOuterblue RI - How do engagement and voting drive action on corporate sustainability?
This episode will explore what proxy voting is, and why it is important in an overall stewardship strategy of an asset manager. Many themes will be touched upon, including board compensation, Say on Climate resolutions, and filing shareholder resolutions to accelerate improvements in the climate strategy.
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PodcastOuterblue RI - Driving Action on Social Cohesion through Shareholder Engagement
In the fourth episode of our five-part series on Shareholder Stewardship, Esther Law, Senior Investment Manager, Emerging Markets Debt and Responsible Investing Lead, and Luda Svystunova, Head of Social Research, engage in a dynamic conversation on shareholder engagement on social cohesion - linking human capital and human rights engagements to responsible investors financial considerations, as well as client and societal responsibilities of issuers.
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White papersThe emergence of Gen-Z
The ageing global population throws up a number of social, economic and healthcare implications. However, another cohort is emerging into a dominant economic force in EM.
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White papersMind the underinvestment gap: Shaping the UK’s future through private markets investment
With decades of underinvestment in UK real assets – from housing to healthcare and infrastructure – investors can tap into the opportunity to drive regeneration and growth. Taking a holistic approach to local investment could maximise social outcomes and create value for communities and investors.
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White papersManaging health and care for sustainable performance
The European healthcare sector remains increasingly popular: being more defensive thanks to its long-term demographic drivers, the healthcare sector has always been a meaningful and defensive diversifier in a multi-asset portfolio. Despite a combination of headwinds related to rising interest rates and some operator’s issues, capital value dynamics have diverged across countries and subsectors of health and care.
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White papersWomen and Investment
Men and women differ in their investment decisions. In this article, we review the main differences in risk aversion, portfolio choices, venture capital investment, and socially responsible investing, as well as their causes: genetic and social factors, financial education, advice, etc. Gender differences raise important questions for public policy, particularly regarding women’s financial adequacy in retirement. Recent developments in Artificial Intelligence and the associated new financial services (fintechs and robo-advisors) can now offer promising tools to reduce inequalities.
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White papersResponsible Investment in Private Equity
In this paper, we aim, as a follow-up of the broader paper we recently published on this topic, to analyze how Private Equity (PE) investors approach responsible investing cross-linking again conclusions from academic research with our experience as a PE investor as well as a survey of PE investors, including both Global Partners (GPs) and Limited Partners (LPs).
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White papersResponsible investing in private equity
Due to its growing size, and the levers it holds in setting the strategy for portfolio companies, the PE industry has a decisive impact on how the global economy addresses the key challenge of climate change and, more generally, whether companies are managed in a responsible manner.
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White papersEmerging Market Green Bonds - Report 2023
Sustainable finance, the capital market used by borrowers to fund projects and initiatives with sound environmental and social credentials, is booming in developing economies.
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PodcastOuterblue Talks Social: Exploring perceptions of equal opportunities with Romina Boarini, OECD
Promoting social mobility and equality of opportunity remains a pressing concern for many countries, challenging the very fabric of our society. Hence, understanding the perceptions and representations of equal opportunities is essential to catalyse collective action and support corrective measures.
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White papersEngagement case study: Netflix
After engaging Netflix on environmental and social issues since 2018, we have seen improvement in performance and ambition from the company.
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White papersSustainability: Interconnected challenges and what we’re doing about them
Some of the world’s biggest challenges are inextricably intertwined. Here, we look at potential solutions across four interconnected areas: halting climate change, improving efficiency, embracing a circular economy, and promoting greater social inclusion.
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White papersDefenders of a threatened world
Indigenous Peoples are disproportionately impacted by the economic, environmental, and social impacts of industrial projects. Nick Pelosi and Ellie Higgins explain how we engage with companies on Indigenous Peoples’ rights and community impact.
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White papersWhy living wages should be considered a driver of human capital value, not a cost
“Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.” Article 23 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
